The Walk
by PhunkyBrewster
Summary: Danny had asked Mindy to "take a walk and just talk." A companion piece to "Wings." One-shot.


**Disclaimer: This one-shot is a companion piece to my first Mindy Project one-shot, Wings. I would heavily suggest reading that first before commencing with this story; however, this can certain be enjoyed on its own. Also, I do not own any of the characters of the Mindy Project. **

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><p>Mindy Lahiri had come to really, <em>really<em> regret her current choice in shoes.

Yes, she had a very special fondness for her new Badgley Mischka gold heels - they _did_ accent her plum pencil skirt and daffodil yellow blouse perfectly - but she'd chosen to wear them that morning with the anticipation of a very ordinary day at the practice. The day, however, resulted in one that she could safely deem unordinary, to say the least.

For instance, ordinary days tend to progress fairly quickly, never making her feel as if she had been on her feet for hours. Her work always held her focus, overshadowing any oncoming discomfort from her designer shoes, until her commute home where she could relax.

They also tend to exclude intimate, breathtaking moments with Danny Castellano in the privacy of his office.

But this day, to her utter shock, _did_ include a silent, but, what she would call, intense, heart-stopping moment with her friend and colleague (_Complete with mood music, God help me_, she repeatedly thought throughout the day) that led to him to ask her to accompany him for dinner and a walk to "talk." She agreed, of course, and from the moment she exited his office the day dragged itself in an unbearable, unnecessarily dawdling fashion. Despite her best efforts, she could not fully commit her focus to her work, repeatedly revisiting the moment in her mind. It had become all she could think about: the open vulnerability in his eyes, the nervous bob of his Adam's apple, his desperate grip on her lab coat, and the intensely strong desire to kiss him...her only reprieve from this self-inflicted torture had been her face-to-face interactions with her patients (not all of which were great) and the moments when she silently cursed the impracticality of her shoes, while wasn't normally a major concern of hers.

But this day was, after all, different, so when Mindy stepped onto the pavement with Danny close to her side as they commenced their very unordinary walk, she quietly cursed to herself as she attempted to shift more comfortably in her shoes.

"You alright?" Danny asked with a look of concern, momentarily halting his movement in order to check on her.

"Oh, I'm fine," Mindy assured him hurriedly as she continued to adjust her feet. "I just wasn't prepared to go on a walkabout today-"

"A walkabout?" Danny repeated with a chuckle. "We didn't teleport to Australia."

"Whatever," Mindy replied dismissively, continuing their stroll. "I can handle it. It just sucks that something that makes my legs look this incredible can't be just a little more comfy, that's all."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You know, I'll never understand why you ladies place so much emphasis on fashion."

"Uuuh, says the guy who punched someone in the face for daring to wear a Mellencamp shirt to a Springsteen concert," Mindy challenged.

"Different matter entirely."

"Yeah, sure."

They looked at each other for a moment, both subtly smirking at their typical banter, then looked ahead as they continued their slow trek down the sidewalk. Mindy wasn't entirely sure where they were headed, but she didn't mind not knowing. It was a testament to how much she trusted him.

"Well, if it's any consolation," she heard Danny say, "your legs do look great."

Mindy tried very hard to ignore the sudden gradual raise in her body temperature as she looked up at him and rewarded him with a bright smile. Gently nudging his shoulder with her own, she replied, "Why, thank you, Danny."

Danny gave her a crooked smile and continued with their leisurely walk. He gently cleared his throat. "So, uh, I thought I saw Mrs. Coppenhagen leave your office after lunch."

Mindy groaned at the mention of one of the practice's most notorious patients. "Ugh! Yes, and she's about nine weeks with baby number five and already hinted to 'precious bundle number six.' This woman is all about back-to-back pregnancies and she's still as insanely neurotic as she was with the first."

"Yeah, you'd think at this point those kids would just start delivering themselves."

"Right?!" Mindy agreed shrilly. "I don't get why she just doesn't switch to Jeremy, as much as she blushes whenever he pays her one of those fake, British-y compliments."

As close as they were walking together, she could feel him shrug before he spoke. "Well, maybe she's taken a very strong liking to you. Is that so hard to believe?"

Mindy chanced another glance at her companion. He was looking at her with an expression that seemed both challenging and weirdly shy. Danny's newly-acquired ability to cram an alarming amount of subtext in the simplest of moments was beginning to overwhelm her. It also made her begin to question whether she was as astute as she normally gave herself credit for, or if she was reading way too much into things, which she'd been guilty of far too many times to count. She had to get Danny talking before she drove herself insane.

But first, she had to get out of these God-forsaken (albeit fashionable) shoes. There was not way she could focus on the matter at hand when her ankles felt that like they were about to snap with each crack and dip of the sidewalk.

"Okay, I've had it," Mindy mumbled gruffly. She placed a bracing hand on his shoulder and stilled their walking, pulled a pair of metallic flats out of her bag and dropped them unceremoniously on the pavement. Being a doctor constantly on call (and a resident of New York, in general) meant that she always had to be prepared to move quickly on foot at a moment's notice, so she felt that a flat pair of shoes on her person at all times was a must.

"Sorry, Danny. This is necessary."

"Wait, you had flats on you the **entire time**?" he cried incredulously. "I thought you said you could handle it!"

"Yeah, well, I lied," Mindy admitted plainly as she graciously slipped her bare feet into her much more comfortable shoes. She bent down and picked up the offending heels. As she prepared to place them in her tote, Danny stopped her by placing his hand on her upper arm.

"Here," he said as he reached his other arm across the both of them, gently taking her shoes out of her grasp. "Let me get those for you." He allowed the heels to dangle from the pointer and middle fingers on his left hand while he used his right hand to settle the straps of Mindy's tote on her shoulder.

Mindy was so touched by the sweetness of the gesture that it almost rendered her speechless until she remembered to smile and utter "thank you," in awe.

" 's no problem," Danny almost whispered. He then allowed his hand to drift from the bag strap all the way down to her hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, he threaded his fingers through hers.

This was the first time that Danny ever held Mindy's hand without a looming sense of urgency. That, alone, should have made this occasion feel brand new. Instead, the underlying tenderness and possessiveness of the action felt very familiar and warmed her heart. He'd always had his own unique way of showing her that he cared, now that she had the time to really think about it.

Now she just needed him to open up to her. She decided to go to her own place of familiarity: friendly teasing.

"Wow, look at Danny Castellano!" she squealed, her eyes narrowed mischievously. "Breaking out the chivalry and holding his date's hand **and** shoes!"

She was happy to see her playfulness garner the desired reaction when a slow, almost boyish smile spread across Danny's face. "Okay, calm down, crazy."

She made sure to mentally note that he did not deny that this was a date before continuing her ribbing. "Oh, no way," she replied with a shake of her head. "I would Instagram the crap out of this if my selfie-taking hand weren't otherwise occupied."

"God, I'm already regretting this," he groaned unconvincingly, his smile still present. The sudden squeeze of her hand that she felt served as added assurance that his annoyance was in jest.

She gently nudged his shoulder with her own. "Come on, talk to me! I thought we were supposed to talk…"

Danny reluctantly nodded. "Do you want to start with any particular topic?"

_Wow, he's really gonna make me work for it_, Mindy thought to herself. "Uuuuh, I don't know. Maybe we can start with the fact that we're taking a _cozy stroll_ through the city…or with the super-charged moment we shared in your office today…or we can start with the first moment you realized that I was a phenomenal woman a la Maya Angelou…"

"You are a bastion of humility," he joked wryly.

"Danny, when have you _ever_ had a problem speaking your mind?" Mindy pressed on. "You're usually all too eager to tell me what you're thinking, especially when your opinion is particularly unsolicited. Why do I suddenly have to drag it out of you?"

At that, Danny sighed with the knowledge that he could no longer prolong the inevitable discussion. "Look, Min, it's not that easy to put into words…" he paused as furrowed his eyebrows, appearing to really concentrate on what he wanted to say next. "It's hard, coming up with a comprehensive way to express my feelings towards you."

Mindy bit back the urge to make fun of the fact that he would use the word "comprehensive" in a romantic overture (which she thought was such a doctor-like thing to do), fearing that it would cause him to shut down. She simply looked up at him and silently urged him to continue.

"I mean, I've been wrestling with this for ages and it's been driving me nuts," he continued. "I even tried distracting myself, hence the music, but…well, you know how that went. It's just…I feel like I can't just say, 'Mindy, I like you.'"

"Why not?" Mindy urged, failing to filter out the desperation in her tone. She could feel her heartbeat accelerate with every passing sentence.

Danny shrugged. "Because 'like' seems like the word you reserve for some girl you run into on the train a couple times or the cute barista you see Tuesdays and Thursdays at the corner coffee shop. It just seems...weak, I guess, meant for someone you don't know that well. It definitely doesn't work for us by a long shot, not the way I feel about you."

How he could manage to admit something so beautiful with such fact-like simplicity, Mindy would never understand. All she knew was that it was lovelier than any disingenuous, flowery declaration she'd ever received during any of her past relationships.

"Okay…" Mindy nodded slowly, her voice barely masking how much his words had affected her. "So 'like' is off the table. That only leaves us with a few options here."

Danny remained silent for a while, the expression of concentration returning to his face as they continued to walk in the direction of a park a few blocks away from the practice. She could spot the path in the distance that was lined with trees, each tree lit up with strings of soft LED lights. Mindy always thought it was such a beautiful sight at night and could have sworn that she mentioned it around the office more than once. Did Danny plan for them to end up here?

When she realized that he hadn't spoken for almost a minute, she grew anxious. She could easily tell that he was holding back, which was so uncharacteristic of their friendship. They've always been open and brutally honest with each other, which was something that she valued highly. Now, she felt like they were beating around the bush, which seemed almost alien to her. Her patience was running out; she had to get to the bottom of all of it right then.

As they entered the park, Mindy stopped them both and turned face him, maintaining her grip of his hand.

"Listen, Danny," she urged, looking him straight in his eyes. "You know more than anyone that I'm, like, historically bad at recognizing important cues from others. I can't always read between the lines; sometimes I need a little help. It is _so important _to me that I understand what's going on here, okay? I don't want to make any assumptions and I definitely don't want to get this wrong. So please, tell me how you feel. And don't bother telling me that you don't know, because we both know that would totally be a lie."

Without meaning to, she held her breath as she awaited his response. He maintained a penetrating gaze as he swallowed hard, something that Mindy was beginning to recognize as another nervous habit of his, aside from the perpetual sweating. His silence made her wonder if she had pushed a little too hard and, with panic, she began to formulate a back-pedaling, snarky remark in her head as a way out.

Suddenly, Danny broke eye contact, exhaled in defeat, and surprised Mindy by lifting their conjoined hands to his lips and pressing a light kiss on one of her knuckles, stealing the little remaining breath in her body. He missed Mindy's gaping mouth and shocked, wide eyes as he chose to focus his eyes on their hands.

"You're right," he confessed in a low voice. "I know exactly how I feel about you and, if I'm being honest with myself, I know exactly how far I want us to go." He looked up and caught her eyes once more. There was a steely resolve in his stare, but a hint of anxiety still lingered. "But saying it aloud, _actually_ putting it out there, puts me face-to-face with how much I want this…and, also, how much I stand to lose. And that is so goddamn terrifying."

Mindy realized that this was the first time she could remember ever seeing Danny Castellano look truly scared. It was enough to tempt her into throwing herself bodily at him and eradicating any insecurity that existed within him, right there in the middle of the park. Deciding on a much more socially-acceptable approach, she simply took a step closer and tried to assure him with a soft smile, "You know I'm not Christina."

Danny emitted a curt laugh then nodded. "Trust me, I'm all too aware that you're not Christina, Min. That's the truly terrifying part." Mindy tilted her head in confusion just before he continued. "I thought I could never feel for another woman the same way I felt about her ever again. After everything fell apart I was so angry - at her, for being so callous, at myself, for not being enough for her, at the world, for being _so shitty_ to me - but I got through it…and you were a major factor in that."

Mindy could feel her heart grow exponentially as he continued to speak. Her ears were ringing and she was unable to prevent the slow smile from making its way onto her face. Nevertheless, she didn't dare stop him.

"But this," he croaked, squeezing her hand for emphasis. "This is much different. The stakes seem so much higher now than they ever did with Christina…and I _married_ her. God, if this didn't work out for some reason…"

She definitely did not prepare for this heavy of a confession, but now that she was hearing it, Mindy immediately realized that she felt the same way. She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment her feelings for Danny had changed, but she knew that they were so much more intense now than she had ever anticipated they would be when they met. Initially, her main goal had been to get him to like her beyond simply tolerating her. As time progressed, their work relationship cultivated a mutual respect, which blossomed into a friendship and then, eventually, a uniquely close bond. Romance hadn't become a prospect until recently, or so she thought. She also entertained the possibility that there had always been some underlying attraction between them that they were just getting around to acknowledging, albeit in a major fashion. Whatever the case may have been, what was important to her was how they felt for each other in this moment and what that meant for their future. While the consequences were scary, all of it excited her immensely.

"Danny –"

"And I'm not just worried about me, here," Danny continued anxiously. "You're so…lively and gorgeous and intelligent and dominant and you're always calling me an old man…"

Mindy gave him a tiny shove in the chest with her free hand as she cried, "Danny, stop it! You know I'm only being facetious whenever I saw that! You're not even remotely old."

"I know, I know," Danny sighed, "but I can't help but…" He looked off into the vague distance behind her for a few moments before he braved another look into her eyes. "I can't help but worry…about my ability to keep you around. What if I'm not enough for you?"

Mindy realized that Danny had taken an incredible risk by baring so much of himself to her. She then made the decision to throw caution to the wind and put him at ease, once and for all. Without a moment of hesitation, she dropped his hand, grabbed his face and yanked him down to her level until she was able to crash her lips upon his. His lips had taken on the crisp temperature of the early evening air, but that didn't distract her from noticing just how unbelievably soft they were. Only a second passed before she thought she detected the sound of her heels falling to the pavement, which was quickly overshadowed by the feel of Danny wrapping his arms around her and enthusiastically gathering her close to him as pressed his lips even more firmly against hers. She inhaled the clean scent of Danny's cologne as he let one of his hands roam up her back while the other snaked around her waist, clenching her to him. He detached his lips for a brief moment only to desperately claim Mindy's once again, even firmer than before, which really should not have been possible.

Whenever Mindy imagined their first kiss (whenever she just didn't have the energy to fight off the image or deny her desire), she always thought that it would take place during one of their heated exchanges and that it might be a frenzied, passionate moment indicative of his bold Italian gusto and her brazen, fiery personality. But this was passionate in a completely different sense. Instead of being a kiss fraught with clashing tongues, the nibbling of lips or intense sexual tension, it was a kiss fueled by simple, unmitigated affection. More than anything else, Mindy wanted Danny to feel safe in her arms, literally and figuratively. She couldn't remember a time when she relished the role of the protector over that of the protected, but it felt fitting that the first time was with this man…a man who had served as her protector far more often than she felt she deserved.

Reluctantly, she pulled back with an audible _smack_ of their lips and looked deeply into his eyes, which were clouded over in a way that she had only dared to fantasize about.

"Danny," she said breathlessly. "All I've ever wanted was to be with a man whom I felt was truly my friend." She dragged one of the hands that rested on his smooth cheek down slowly to his jaw line, then to the side of his neck, and down his chest until it rested between them, just over his heart. "And you, Danny Castellano, are my _best friend_. That's more than I could ask for. You _have_ to know that you are more than enough. You always will be."

The relieved smile that radiated from him was enough to constrict Mindy's throat and cause tears to pool at the corners of her eyes. She had never felt so wanted in all her life.

He lifted a hand and caressed her cheek softly before placing a gentle, reverent kiss on her lips for only a few seconds. He then rested his forehead against hers and wove his fingers into her hair.

"I really, _really_ love you, Mindy," he confessed just above a whisper. He exhaled as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted off of his chest. "I'm absolutely, one hundred percent in love with you. I don't want to burden this with a whole bunch of expectations right now, but I will tell you that whatever we are destined to be, wherever the hell this is supposed to go…" He pulled back so that he could look in her bright, shining eyes with a renewed confidence. "…just know that I'm not going to run from it, nor stand in its way. You and me, Mindy; I want this for as long as I'm allowed to have it."

Mindy choked out a small sob as she smiled and nodded enthusiastically. A tear finally escaped down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away before returning the hand to his chest. "Yes, yes, I want this, too, Danny! I love you, I love you so much!"

The kiss that followed bared a much closer resemblance to the ones in her dreams. She clung to the front of his shirt the moment she felt him nip at her bottom lip. The hand around her waist dug a little deeper as she melded her tongue with his for the first time. This chemistry that they had unknowingly fostered for years was beginning to take on a life of its own, and Mindy could not wait any longer for them to be in an appropriate setting where she could get properly swept away by it.

She pulled back and took a deep, long overdue breath. "Well, this walk has been an absolute blast, but I think we're in need of some dinner."

"Fair enough, sweetheart," he surrendered easily, smiling lazily. "What are you thinking?"

Mindy furrowed her eyebrows and twisted her mouth in feigned deep thought, then replied, "You know, I think all I want to do is go to my favorite sushi place with my boyfriend – because that's what you are now, Danny ," she needlessly clarified jubilantly.

"God, help me," Danny playfully groaned with an elaborate roll of his eyes.

"Watch it," Mindy warned swiftly.

Danny quickly pecked her on the lips. "Yes, ma'am."

"I want to go to my favorite sushi place with my handsome jerk of a boyfriend and get some amazing sushi." She leaned forward for a final time and placed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips just before she added "To go."

Danny immediately understood the implication and raised his eyebrows in interest. "Well, it's a good thing you have those flats, babe."

He quickly knelt down and grabbed her heels. As soon as he was upright, he began to yank her in the opposite direction of the park. "'cuz we are definitely making a run for it!"

He dragged a giggling Mindy behind him mercilessly as she worked to keep up with his gallop. "Danny, slow down!"

"Not a chance, Min!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "We have a lot of time to make up for, lots of ground to cover. C'mon, knees to chest! Let's go!"

Mindy happily jogged beside her love, eager to officially start what she was fairly certain was her Happily Ever After…and she silently thanked God for comfortable shoes.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I always appreciate those who take time out of their day to give my work a chance. It definitely means a lot.**

**Please leave a review, if you can/want to. I love hearing from you all, honestly. :o)**

**Thanks, again, for your time and I hope you all have a beautiful Sunday!**

**Hollaatchyagirl,**

**Phunky**


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